The present invention relates generally to information delivery systems and, particularly, to a novel, World Wide Web(Web)/Internet-based, telecommunications network data management reporting and presentation service for customers of telecommunications service entities.
Telecommunications service entities, e.g., MCI, ATandT, Sprint, and the like, presently provide for the presentation and dissemination of customer account and network data management information to their customers predominantly by enabling customers (clients) to directly dial-up, e.g., via a modem, to the entity""s application servers to access their account information, or, alternatively, via dedicated communication lines, e.g., ISDN, T-1, etc., enabling account information requests to be initiated through their computer terminal having a Windows-based operating system. The requests are processed by the entity""s application server""s, which retrieves the requested customer information from one or more databases, processes and formats the information for downloading to the client""s computer terminal.
Currently, larger telecommunications inter-exchange carrier enterprises such as ATandT, Sprint, LCI, etc., provide management and performance information relating to circuits comprising a customer""s Broadband network, e.g., frame-relay. Such network management information generally includes details of network use and performance such as, for instance, real time status and alarm information, near real time performance data, usage statistics, SNMP data, etc. While these data may be available xe2x80x9con-linexe2x80x9d, they are typically communicated over dedicated network lines to a customer""s location employing a dedicated computing platform, e.g., Unix operating system, and, in some cases, employing dumb terminals having a user interface. Often these systems require deployment of proprietary software, and, in some instances, the inter-exchange carrier enterprise requires customer""s to purchase network monitoring hardware, which can be a very expensive proposition. Moreover, current Broadband network monitoring systems are limited in the types of services available for customers.
It would be highly desirable to provide a Web-based client-server application capable of providing a network manager customer with reports and network performance information relating to their Broadband data networks via a user-friendly graphical user interface implemented on any computing platform.
It would be highly desirable to provide a Web-based client-server application capable of presenting to a customer a physical and logical view of their Broadband network configuration, physical and logical view of network alarms, and physical and logical performance information relating to the circuits which comprise the customer""s data network via a low-cost PC interface implementing a browser application.
Moreover, it would be highly desirable to provide a Web-based client-server application capable of presenting tools which enable a network manager to research and predict Broadband network needs, dynamically re-allocate resources, receive important communications in real-time, and review detail histories to evaluate overall telecommunication usage via a graphical user interface provided on a low-cost PC platform running a browser.
The present invention is directed to a novel Web-based (Internet and Intranet) client-server application that enables customers to access information relating to the performance of their telecommunications virtual data, i.e., xe2x80x9cBroadbandxe2x80x9d networks. Particularly, the novel Web-based (Internet and Intranet) client-server application is a telecommunications network management tool that provides customers with a visual representation of their physical and logical networks across all of their domestic sites, e.g., frame relay, and provides customers with graphical reports of their network performance, e.g., detailing network utilization and throughput. Such reporting functionality enables customer""s to trend and analyze the performance history of their broadband networks, enabling them to determine if their network needs to be changed to ensure that it""s operating at maximum performance levels to meet their business needs. Additionally, customers are enabled to monitor, via their Web browser interface and in real-time, network alarms and real-time events affecting their network.
Particularly, the Broadband network management tool supports three technologies: Frame Relay, Switched Multi-megabit Data Service (SMDS), and may also support Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The reporting tool utilizes at least two components that can be utilized separately or combined: a Performance Reporting System (xe2x80x9cPRSxe2x80x9d) which provides the means for obtaining network performance data specific to a customer""s broadband network; and, a Simple Network Management Protocol (xe2x80x9cSNMPxe2x80x9d) system which is an alarm monitoring system providing real-time or near-real time alarm status conditions of customer network components to customer""s via their Web browser interface.
In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention, there is provided a Web/Internet- based reporting system for communicating information relating to a data network to a customer via an integrated interface. The system comprises a client browser application located at a client workstation for enabling interactive Web based communications with the reporting system, the client workstation identified with a customer and providing the integrated interface; at least one secure server for managing client sessions over the Internet, the secure server supporting a first secure socket connection enabling encrypted communication between the browser application client and the secure server; a dispatch server means for communicating with the secure server through a firewall over a second socket connection, the first secure and second sockets forming a secure communications link, the dispatch server enabling forwarding of a report request message and an associated report response message back to the client browser over the secure communications link; a device for inputting network information pertaining to a specific customer and associating the customer with a corresponding network performance reporting functionality; and, a device for periodically polling network switches pertaining to the customer""s network and gathering performance data relating thereto in accordance with the network performance reporting functionality; wherein the performance data is assembled in a form suitable for display at the client workstation via the integrated interface.
Advantageously, the instant invention can be readily adapted to provide performance information relating to other types of telecommunications networks.